Peters



(No Model.) 3-Sheets-Sheet '1. W. J. DREW.

CARPET s-WEBPBR.

No. 415,903. I Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

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' 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. W; J. ,DREWL. CARPET SWEEPER.

Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. J. DREW.

CARPET SWBEPER. No. 415,903. Patented Nov. 26, 1889". 4

f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AIITER J. DREW OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE BISSELL CARPET SlVEEPER CCMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,903, dated November 26, 1889.

Application filed November 10, 1888. Serial No. 290,471. (No model.)

is shifted in close contact with the floor or' I floor-covering, and to prevent that side of the case remote from the operator from being lifted up or elevated by the backward movement of the sweeper toward theoperator, whereby the machine is rendered very effi- 2o cient and satisfactory in use.

The objects of my invention I accomplish by the features of construction and combination of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to the accom- 2 5 panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the drive-wheels separated from the sweeper-case to more clearly show the spring-wires con nected withthe bail. Fig.2 is alongitudinal 3o central sectional view, omitting the brushshaft and drive-wheels to more clearly show the invention; Fig. 3, a sectional view taken on the line y y, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a detail perspective view of the bail and the spring-wires to act thereupon, the parts being separated; and Fig. 5 is an end elevation, omitting the drive-wheels, and showing a single spring eecentrically connected with the bail.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein- The numeral 1 indicates the sweeper-case; 2, the driving-pulley on thebrush-shaft, and

3 the drive-wheels, all of which parts may be of any desired construction, as they constitute no part of the invention. The dust-pans 4 are pivoted at their heel ends to the sweeper-case, as at 5, and to such heel ends in rearof the piv- 5o ots are respectively connected the lower extremit-ies 7 of the two divergent arms 6, formed by bending a spring-wire, as at S. The divergent arms are connected with the dust-pans under tension in such manner that when the wire comprising the arms is bodily raised in a vertical plane the heels of the pans will be elevated and the pans opened, the divergent arms being thereby placed under increased tension, while upon the release of the wire its resiliency caused by the tension of the divergent arms will automatically close the pans.

To raise the wire comprising the divergent arms and thereby dump the dust-pans, I provide a swinging lever 9, pivoted at a pointintermediate its ends, as at 10, to the end wall of the sweeper-case. The inner end of the lever is provided with a lateral projection 11, extending under or Otherwise loosely acting directly upon the bend 8 of the wire, while the outer end of the lever is extended upwardly through a slot in the case to form a finger-piece 13 by downward pressure on which the lever will be swung on its pivot 10, and its inner end thereby caused to lift the wire to elevate the heels of the dust-pans to tilt the latter and dump the content-s thereof. The pressure being relieved from the swinging lever, the tension of the spring-arms automatically closes the pans, thewire compris- 8o ing the divergent arms descendingfor this purpose as the pans assume their closed position.

It will be observed that in my invention as here illustrated the downward pressure on the finger-piece swings the lever on a vertical plane, raising the inner end, and thereby lifting the wire to open the pans. In this combination of pivoted lever and divergent spring-arms my invention diifers substan- 9o tially from prior mechanisms for dumping the dust-pans of carpet-sweepers.

The handle'carrying bail 1% is pivoted to the end walls of the sweeper-case, and to effect' this the bail is provided at each end with 5 a head 15, having a central inwardly-projecting pivot or journal 16, seated in the end wall of the casing, as at 17. The head 15 may be of any construction suitable for the conditions required-that is,it may be a disk 10o or any other form of plate or bar to provide a lateral projection, which can be provided with perforations or recesses 18, located, respectively, at opposite sides of the pivot or journal. Vith the perforations or recesses are engaged the laterally-projecting or hooked ends 19 of two curved or bent spring-wires 20, the other ends 21 of which are secured to fixed parts of the sweeper-case-as, for instance, to the extensions 22 of the side pieces. The spring-wires, arranged as described, are thereby eccentrically connected with the ball at two pointsthat is, the wires are secured to the bail at opposite sides of the journal or pivot, which is the center on which the bail swings to reverse it from side to side. As shown, the eccentric points of attachment are diametrically opposite each other; but these points may be slightly varied. The wires from their point of connection with the bail extend in opposite directions toward. the

sides of the case, and thence project downward in curves or bends to the points of attachment of the other ends 21. In the use of the sweeper, assuming the bail to be in an upright position, the springs, owing to the manner in which they are curved or bent and connected to the case, will have an inward thrust toward each other, and while this may be the only action of the springs at their inner ends, they may be so bent as to have an upward tendency at those points. The action of one spring opposes the action of the other spring, and thus neither affects the position of the bail when the latter is perpendicular. Vhen the handle and bail are swung toward the operator, the inner end of the spring nearest the said operator is depressed below the pivot 16, the inner end of the spring farthest from the operator is elevated above the said pivot, and the plate, bar, or other enlargement constituting the head 15 acts to draw the inner ends of the springs toward the longitudinal center of the case. The springs now by their tension have an inward thrust toward the said center of the case, and hence they act on the head 15 above and below the pivot 16 in opposite directions, thereby tending to rotate said head and swing the bail in the direction the latter was swung in moving it toward the operator. The bail-handle being held by the operator, the tendency of the springs is to depress that side of the case farthest from the operator, and consequently elevate that side nearest the operator. The raising of the bail-handle to the desired position for propelling the sweeper, as is natural, causes the depression of that side of the case farthest from the operator to be increased. A similar but reversed action of the parts will occur when the bail is shifted to the opposite side of the case.

I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to two springs acting on one end of the bail, as set forth, for the reason that I may omit one of the springs, as represented in Fig. 5, and the one remaining will still have an inward thrust and act to force the bail toward that side of the case to which it is swung, and also serve to depress that side of the case farthest from the operator when the bail-handle is grasped and the sweeper propelled.

I do not confine myself to opening the dustpans by depressing the finger-piece 13 of the pivoted lever 9, as the lever may be otherwise arranged, the essential features being the combination of the rising and falling divergent spring-arms, with a pivoted swinging lever connected with the spring-arms to operate the dust-pans.

I do not herein broadly claim the combination, with a bail pivoted to the sweeper-case, of a spring connected to the casing and acting on the bail to tilt that side of the case nearest the operator and depress that side remote or farthest from the operator, as such is covered by my application, Serial No. 267,980, filed March 21,1888.

Having thus described my in venti'on, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with a sweeper-case,

tilting dust-pans, a vertically-movable wire comprising divergent spring-arms connected, respectively, at their lower ends under tension to the pans, and a swinging lever pivoted to the case acting on the upper portion of the wire and extending upward atits other end into a finger-piece for operating the wire and dumping the pans, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a sweeper-case, of a reversible pivoted bail and a curved or bentspring secured at one end to the casing and at the other end eccentrically connected with the bail, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVALTER J. DREW.

- Witnesses:

ARTHUR C. DENISON, ELIJAH HANEY. 

